"Have you heard? The Dragon Emperor Palace, which hasn't been seen for years, has taken action again."
"What? The Dragon Emperor Palace has reappeared?"
"That's right. The Dragon Emperor Palace has emerged once more."
"Damn, what could possibly be important enough to bring the Dragon Emperor Palace out?"
"Not sure, but it seems the Palace Master himself issued an order—apparently to hunt down someone named Lie Zhankuang."
"Lie Zhankuang? Never heard of him. Who is this guy to warrant the Palace Master's personal decree?"
"Well… I don’t know either!"
On his way to Alchemy Emperor City, Chen Chang'an happened to overhear the news about Lie Zhankuang.
So this guy finally crawled out from under the Heavenly Pool? Did he break through to the Emperor realm already?
But how did he end up being hunted by the Dragon Emperor Palace so quickly?
The Palace Master of the Dragon Emperor Palace, Long Wuqi, was a peak-level Emperor realm cultivator. Few knew that he was a contemporary of Mu Yunyao.
Back in the day, Long Wuqi was nothing more than a lackey in the eyes of Mu Yunyao and her peers—hardly worth mentioning.
After all the true prodigies of that era, except for Mu Yunyao, ascended to the higher realms, Long Wuqi finally had his chance to shine, climbing step by step to the peak of the Emperor realm.
Because of this, Long Wuqi firmly believed that he was now the strongest in the entire Tai Xuan World.
The other peak-level Emperors were merely latecomers, unworthy juniors in his eyes.
Moreover, while there were many Emperors in the Tai Xuan World, not just anyone could reach the peak of the Emperor realm.
At most, there were no more than ten peak-level Emperors.
And once they reached this level, their sole pursuit was further breakthroughs—ascension to the higher realms.
Matters of slaughter and conflict were long beneath them.
Yet Lie Zhankuang had somehow managed to hit Long Wuqi’s fatal weakness—ugliness.
Long Wuqi, for all his arrogance and pride, was cursed with an unsightly appearance, and he despised nothing more than being called ugly.
Lie Zhankuang had paid a heavy price for this, hiding beneath the Heavenly Pool for thousands of years.
The Dragon Emperor Palace wasn’t located on land but on an island called Heavenly Dragon Island, surrounded by deep seas. They rarely ventured into the Central Heaven Domain.
But now, unexpectedly, the Dragon Emperor Palace had reappeared—with one clear goal: to find Lie Zhankuang.
"Tsk tsk tsk, after all these years, the Dragon Emperor Palace is making a move?"
"Did Lie Zhankuang do something else the moment he crawled out of the Heavenly Pool?"
Even Da Huang was curious. No matter how powerful Long Wuqi was, could he really have detected Lie Zhankuang’s emergence so quickly?
And after all this time, had he still not let go of this grudge?
Talk about holding a grudge.
"Not sure. Only Lie Zhankuang himself would know." Chen Chang'an chuckled and shook his head.
He was curious too, but judging by the chatter around him, no one seemed to know the full story.
Still, the sudden appearance of the Dragon Emperor Palace in the Central Heaven Domain had shocked many.
Five thousand years ago, the Dragon Emperor Palace had announced a full retreat into seclusion, and not a single member had emerged since.
For five thousand years, most people had nearly forgotten the Dragon Emperor Palace even existed.
"I once heard my ancestor say that the Dragon Emperor Palace is incredibly powerful, and they only recruit cultivators above the Void Refinement realm," Gu Fengyao said.
"But the strange thing is, the Dragon Emperor Palace has never had any younger disciples in all these years."
"It’s almost like… none of them marry or have descendants."
"My ancestor said the Dragon Emperor Palace and Long Wuqi are both too peculiar, so if you ever encounter them, avoid them at all costs."
Hearing this, Chen Chang'an also found it odd.
Any faction needed a steady influx of new blood, so how could the Dragon Emperor Palace have no younger generation at all?
Weren’t they worried about their legacy dying out?
And despite this, they chose to enter seclusion for five thousand years?
Weird.
Truly bizarre.
"We’ve had no dealings or grudges with the Dragon Emperor Palace, so we’re fine," Chen Chang'an said.
"But—"
"Damn, what’s going on?"
Just then, Chen Chang'an spotted Lie Zhankuang—disguised and sneaking around.
What kind of coincidence was this?
Did Lie Zhankuang sniff him out like a bloodhound?
Oh no.
Judging by Lie Zhankuang’s movements, he was heading straight for them.
How did he even know they were here?
"That guy’s really something."
"His nose is that sharp?" Da Huang was equally surprised. How had Lie Zhankuang tracked them down?
"What’s wrong?" Gu Fengyao and Gu Xian'er were confused.
"Brother Chen, I finally found you!"
"Come on, let’s go. Hurry!"
Lie Zhankuang was wrapped up tightly, his face completely concealed. If not for recognizing his aura, they might not have even identified him.
"Are you insane?"
"Huh? No, I’m not."
"Then why are you looking for me?"
"Look, just come with me. I’ve made a huge discovery—something important I need to tell you."
Seeing how serious Lie Zhankuang was, Chen Chang'an frowned slightly. After a moment’s hesitation, he stood up and followed him.
Lie Zhankuang led Chen Chang'an and the others away, flying to a remote wilderness.
"Here, this place is hidden."
He guided them into a cave—dark and seemingly endless.
Chen Chang'an could tell the cave sloped downward, likely extending several thousand meters deep.
"How did you even find a place like this?" Chen Chang'an asked, puzzled.
"Huh? Oh, I dug it myself a while ago."
Dug it himself?
A freaking Emperor, digging random holes in the wilderness for fun?
At the end of the cave was a sizable chamber. Once inside, Lie Zhankuang cautiously set up a barrier before lighting the oil lamps around them.
"Now we should be safe," Lie Zhankuang said with a grin.
"Are you seriously this paranoid?"
"And what exactly did you do? How long have you been out of the Heavenly Pool?"
"Why did the Dragon Emperor Palace immediately come after you the moment you emerged?"
"Besides, you’re an Emperor now. Why run? Fight them!" Chen Chang'an snapped.
Lie Zhankuang’s face twisted into something between a grimace and a sob.
"Ancestor, you’re my damn ancestor. You think I don’t want to? I want revenge too!"
"But—but I can’t beat them! I just can’t!"
"Back when I was at the Supreme realm, they sent ten Undying realm experts after me."
"Now, after finally breaking through to the Emperor realm, guess what?"
"Ha! The Dragon Emperor Palace sent ten Emperors!"
"Tell me, how am I supposed to fight that? What chance do I have?"
Ten Emperors?
How could the Dragon Emperor Palace have so many Emperor-level experts?
"Impossible!"
"My family's ancestor once said that Long Wuqi, the master of the Dragon Emperor Palace, is incredibly powerful, but the Dragon Emperor Palace doesn’t have many truly talented or promising individuals."
"Most of them are people recruited along the way. Even if some break through to the Emperor Realm, there definitely wouldn’t be too many."
"How could they casually send out ten like this?" Gu Fengyao exclaimed in shock.
"Your family’s ancestor? What the hell does your ancestor know? Who even is he?" Lie Zhankuang scoffed dismissively.
"His ancestor is Gu Fenghua. Ever heard of him?"
"Gu Fenghua? Never heard of him. Wait… the Gu family?"
"You… uh, who exactly are you?"
Lie Zhankuang turned to Gu Fengyao, his tone suddenly nervous.
"Gu Fengyao. My ancestor is Gu Fenghua. Got a problem with that?" Gu Fengyao glared at him indignantly.
Holy shit, the Gu family’s ancestor?
Isn’t that a peak-level Emperor?
What the hell did I just say?
First, I pissed off the Dragon Emperor Palace, and now I’ve offended the Gu family?
Two peak-level Emperors?
Damn it!
"Bro, just kill me already. Living is too damn hard!"
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
n] Top-tier player Zhou Yi died and was reborn into the body of a hopeless simp who shared his name. His first love callously dumped him for a rich heir, his childhood sweetheart saw him as an embarrassment, the ice-cold campus beauty looked down on him—every woman he ever loved treated him like a pathetic doormat. But later, his ex came crawling back in tears: "Yi, I was wrong. Please take me back." His childhood sweetheart became hopelessly devoted: "Yi, just one more glance from you is all I ask." The aloof campus belle blushed as she handed him a love letter: "Zhou Yi, I was blind before. Will you accept my feelings?" To all of them, Zhou Yi just smiled. "Sorry, too late. I’m done with love." Oh, and he also gained a system—every time he earned a woman’s affection, his looks improved and his bank account grew. Soon, he became the nation’s most eligible bachelor, with socialites and heiresses begging for his attention...
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
